Cruise Lines: Super Cruise to be available on Denali-grade GMC, work with trailers

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General Motors announced late July that its Super Cruise driving aid will be available on top-rung variants of the 2022 GMC Sierra 1500. In an exclusive conversation with Driving , reps from GM Canada provided some insight as to when we can expect this feature to appear.

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“Super Cruise will be available late in the 2022 model year as part of the new Sierra 1500,” we have been told, pointing to a scenario in which early builds of the redesigned truck may not immediately offer the feature. This is not unheard of, since companies like to make absolutely certain they nail new roll-outs of advanced tech like Super Cruise. Getting it right the first time instead of rushing to market is a smart play.

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Cruise Lines: Super Cruise to be available on Denali-grade GMC, work with trailers Back to video

On the Sierra, Super Cruise will introduce the capability to trailer while driving hands-free on divided and compatible highways, along with a new automatic lane-change feature. The latter could put it on par with other systems of this type that are currently on the market. Making the technology play nicely with trailers will be a huge deal for those of us who use trucks for, y’know, actual work .

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Speaking to Driving , GM spox explained their engineering team has made multiple software updates to Super Cruise for this purpose, including unique trailering calibration tables, trailer oscillation detection, earlier curve speed control, and improved trailer detection logic. “To refine the overall feel of the system,” they explained, “calibration tuning was completed on a wide variety of Super Cruise capable roads with a full range of trailers.” This is good news.

Speaking of redesign, our GM contact also confirmed the 2022 Sierra “will include significant updates in design, technology, and capability.” This is not total news, since a refreshed truck is expected for 2022, but the mention of improved capability all but confirms Sierra’s max towing and payload numbers will rise in the never-ending Detroit Truck War.

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Close examination of a video released for this Super Cruise announcement shows a 2022 Sierra with what appears to be paddle shifters, something not yet seen on a GM truck. A fully-digital gauge cluster is also shown plugged neatly into the space where analog gauges presently reside. The thumb-activated Super Cruise button sits where the control currently lives for a heated steering wheel, suggesting that control has been moved elsewhere. A gap in the truck’s camouflage reveals at least one forward-facing sensor location, and we’ll note the test mule is not equipped with a CarbonPro box.

Super Cruise utilizes a driver attention system and LiDAR-generated map data to guide a vehicle along certain routes, in addition to real-time cameras, sensors, and GPS. A driver attention system uses a small camera on the steering column working with infrared lights to determine if the driver is paying attention to the road when Super Cruise is engaged or if their gaze has wandered. A light bar on the steering wheel flashes an angry red light if the driver doesn’t smarten up.

In a Canadian connection, engineers at GM’s Canadian Technical Centre were key members of the team who originally worked on the development of Super Cruise when it launched four years ago. Since that time, the tech has evolved with software enhancements thanks to collaboration and expertise from Canadian engineers.